Chapter 3

Remembrance Day

Jack, Miko, and Raf felt a little awkward driving to the Autobot base on this particular day. Normally they rode with their guardians. Raf enjoyed talking about science and planet Cybertron with Bumblebee, Jack and Arcee enjoyed the desert drive together, and Miko loved stunt driving with Bulkhead. Today however, they were riding in Ratchet's ambulance alt mode, and conversation was nearly impossible with the cranky Doc Bot (as Miko called him).

"So, um, Ratchet," Jack stammered uncomfortably, "Why didn't our 'Bots pick us up again? I'm not sure I understand."

"It's Remembrance Day," Ratchet said as if that should explain everything, "They don't have time to fool around with you when they're trying to get the base ready."

"Remembrance Day? Is there going to be like a party or something?" Miko asked excitedly.

"No, it's a solemn occasion to remember our relatives that have been killed during the war with the Decepticons," Ratchet replied bluntly.

"Oh...Bummer," Miko replied as she slumped her head in her hand and looked out the window with a bored expression on her face.

"I'm curious," Raf interjected himself into the conversation, "What exactly do you do on Remembrance Day? Has it existed since before the war, or was it created because of the war?"

"Good question, Rafael," Ratchet replied; his tone softening at Raf's gentle studious questions, "Remembrance Day was created shortly after the war began as a way to honor family members that were killed as a direct result of combat or siege. We were sure the day would be officially recognized by the new Autobot government once the war was over, but here we are, thousands of vorns later, and the war still rages on. You asked about our traditions, right?"

Raf nodded.

"Well, it's quite simple really," Ratchet explained, "Each 'Bot will place a table against the wall with their name on a banner across said table. Each table will have photos of and personal items belonging to the deceased relatives. We used to have friends' photos placed there as well, but as the war dragged on and the body count grew it became impractical, so now it's family only. This will be the first year Cliffjumper's picture will be displayed."

"Is Cliffjumper related to any of you?" Jack asked.

"Sort of," Ratchet replied hesitantly, "He was engaged to Arcee, but they never had the chance to formally bond. I've heard she also puts up photos of her old partner Tailgate. It isn't what most mechs and femmes do, but I understand why she does it. Arcee was adopted shortly after the war began, and she doesn't know who her spark parents were. She was raised by Ironhide and his mate Chromia, and they're both still alive and fighting out there...somewhere."

"Wow, I never pictured Arcee as having parents," Jack said in awe, "I guess I never really thought about any of you as having parents and children."

"Is it really so strange?" Ratchet asked, "After all, legally Bumblebee is considered to be Optimus Prime's son."

"What!?" Raf exclaimed; surprised.

"No way!" Miko cried out excitedly, "Prime is a father? Does he have any other kids? Are they as cool as Bee? Does he have any girls? Can they kick butt like their daddy?"

"Miko, shh!" Ratchet hissed irritably, "First of all, Bumblebee was the last sparkling born from the Allspark. Sparklings born from the Allspark can be adopted by anyone. Back during the Golden Age you had to be pre-approved to raise a sparkling before you could have one from the Allspark, but of course who would refuse the request of the last of the Primes? Optimus took Bumblebee in to protect him from Megatron. Also, yes, Optimus had adopted another sparkling before he adopted Bumblebee. He and his bondmate Elita One went to the Allspark since Elita couldn't have sparklings of her own. She had to be rebuilt after Megatron tried to assassinate her."

"Harsh," Miko commented.

"I didn't know Optimus Prime was married," Raf replied.

"Well, don't make a big deal out of it," Ratchet said soberly, "Optimus lost Elita many years ago. After that his oldest son Hound was killed along with Hound's newspark, Drill Bit. Optimus and Bumblebee will likely share a table as they do every year since they have lost the same family."

None of the kids knew how to respond to that one. Raf had no idea that Bumblebee had lost his mother, brother, and infant nephew to the Decepticons. He didn't know if he should ask what happened to them or not. All he knew was that he wanted to be there for his friend in any way he could.

When they arrived at the base the kids could see that there were red streamers with Cybertronian glyphs strung all over the base. They didn't know what the streamers said, but it didn't seem too important for the moment.

The tables were prepared just as Ratchet had said they would be. The medic left the kids as soon as Bumblebee came to greet them. Optimus was preparing the final touches on their family's table, so Bumblebee was able to lead the kids along and explain the decorations while Raf translated.

Jack stopped at Arcee's table a few minutes after he arrived and sure enough, there were only two pictures. One was a painting of Cliffjumper, and it looked like he was mugging for the artist. Jack smiled even though he never knew Cliffjumper personally. He knew this guy was a character, and he knew this mech meant a lot to Arcee. The second was a picture of Tailgate; a light blue and light green mech that looked like he transformed into a small truck. He was holding weapons and smiling in front of a ruined building with Arcee standing next to him smirking with her arms crossed over her chassis.

Miko was already bored as Raf and Bumblebee started talking and forgetting to tell her what they were talking about. She decided to look for Bulkhead, and she saw him in front of his family's table. When she saw the pictures and items, she visibly gaped. She counted 10 different 'Bots! How had Bulkhead lost 10 people important to him and not even bothered to tell her?

"Hey, Miko!" Bulkhead greeted her with that same warm smile as always, "Give me a hand here, will you? I'm trying to find a spot for this slide whistle on the table, but it looks like there isn't any space left. Could you rearrange a few things for me?"

"Sure thing, Bulk!" Miko replied as he helped her onto the table, "You got a lot of pictures here. Who's the blue and orange guy with all the rust spots?"

"That's my old team captain from the Wreckers, Seaspray," Bulkhead said amiably, but then grew sad as he said, "He died this year. I still can't believe it. That's the seventh Wrecker confirmed dead that we know of. I know there are more, but we haven't found the bodies."

"I thought only relatives were allowed on these things," Miko pointed out.

"Hey, the Wreckers are family!" Bulkhead shouted defensively, "We were closer than brothers. Besides, three of them were my spark family."

"Really?" Miko asked; trying to change the subject slightly, "Which ones?"

"Well, this is my bondmate, Waterfall," Bulkhead said as he pointed to a photo of a short purple round femme, "She and I met when I joined the Wreckers. I already had a son by the Allspark before then. He's over there. That's my oldest son, Brawn."

Miko looked at the photo of the armored 'Bot with olive green and bronze plating, and the same short cyan optics as his father. They both even had the same confident eager look on their face plates.

"Brawn and I joined the Wreckers together," Bulkhead reminisced with a smile, "I tell you Miko, that kid was a natural born 'Con crusher. After we lost the Allspark I thought I'd never have more sparklings, but Waterfall and I had two. This-," Bulkhead said as he held up a picture of a periwinkle and orange 'Bot scowling at the camera, "-Was my youngest son Huffer. He joined the Wreckers as soon as he was old enough. He always got the job done, no matter what was asked of him."

"Do you have any photos where he's smiling?" Miko asked.

"Nah, Huffer wasn't the smiling type," Bulkhead replied with a chuckle, "He took after my mother, Saline. She never smiled. My sire, Klunker, smiled all the time. They looked like they didn't belong together, but they always got along. That's them over there." He pointed to a picture of a rusty cargo-former and a tiny grey and black drill-bot, "My parents were mine workers. My mother was designed to be very small so she could crawl through tiny crevices in the tunnels. Scrap, she probably wasn't any bigger than you! I get my size from my sire. He was always plagued with rust, but it was the benign kind that doesn't kill you."

"Aww, who's that?" Miko asked as she pointed to a picture of Waterfall holding a tiny white and gold sparkling.

"That was my daughter, Sunrise," Bulkhead sighed as he smiled a sad smile, "She never made it past the sparkling stage of life. Decepticons raided the Wrecker base and killed Brawn, Huffer, and Sunrise. The picture next to it is of Kup and his ward Springer. Kup was our commander before he was replaced by Ultra Magnus. We're pretty sure Ultra Magnus is alive somewhere, but we don't know where. Me and Waterfall left the Wreckers after they changed commanders."

"Oh. So who's that guy?" Miko asked as she pointed to a photo of a scowling orange and blue mech.

"That's Gears," Bulkhead replied, "He was one of the Wreckers. He got killed when a landmine tore him to shreds. He wasn't the best fighter, but he was very good at getting us whatever supplies we needed by skillfully trading with other species. I don't know how he did it. He had the disposition of a cactus. Still, I'll miss him just as much as the rest of them."

Miko then suddenly jumped up on Bulkhead's hand, climbed up his arm, and stood on his shoulder so she could hug his helm. Bulkhead was surprised by how quickly she got up there, but he smiled and returned the hug by wrapping his finger around Miko's waist. He had lost a lot of family over the vorns, but he continued to gain family by being with Team Prime.

Hours passed as the kids listened to the Autobots tell their stories about their families. They talked about the good times and even spoke of the deaths of their loved ones. Jack found it strange that Optimus Prime had once been a grandfather, and Miko asked a million questions about Bulkhead's family since he didn't seem to mind sharing his past with her. Arcee didn't speak much, but she didn't go out of her way to avoid the subject either. She knew she could trust the kids.

Raf walked away from the group for a while to get a glass of water. He looked at the tables lining the wall and he looked at the Bots sitting on the floor talking with the kids about old times. Raf thought something looked off, but he couldn't figure out what it was for a few minutes.

Then it hit him...four tables.

There were four tables, and there were four Autobots in the room. Where was Ratchet? Where was Ratchet's table? Surely the oldest Autobot on the base had at least one someone to remember!

Raf left the gathering and searched the halls for Ratchet. He found the old medic in his berth room. Sure enough, there was Ratchet's table; tucked carefully into a corner with two photos and several items adorning it. Ratchet sat there staring at the photos and venting air heavily. Raf felt like an intruder on Ratchet's moment, so he turned to leave, but his footsteps were overheard by the medic who turned to look at him.

"Rafael, what are you doing here?" Ratchet asked in a guarded tone of voice, "Do you need something? Is everyone alright?"

"Everyone is fine, Ratchet," Raf replied, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bother you. I'll leave now if you want."

"No, no, you might as well come in," Ratchet replied as he opened his door wider for Raf to enter, "I suppose Remembrance Day isn't a time to isolate yourself. I just don't like to display these things in front of everyone. Even after all these years, it's still hard for me to talk about it."

"You don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to," Raf replied reassuringly, "We can just sit here, if you want. Can I at least ask who they are?"

Ratchet sighed wearily, and then picked up Raf and placed him on the table with his precious objects. There was a photo of Ratchet with two younger mechs. One was black and white with doorwings similar to Bumblebee's, and the other was a sparkling that was grey and red with identical doorwings. They both had orange chevrons on their helms just like Ratchet. Ratchet himself looked younger in the photo, and like the weight of the world hadn't yet crushed him.

"The older mech on the left is my oldest son, Prowl," Ratchet said as he pointed, "The sparkling is my youngest son, Bluestreak. I got them both from the Allspark. Prowl was always a very serious-minded and studious mech. In some ways you remind me of Prowl. He and I both joined the Autobots after the attack on Praxus, which destroyed our home..."

Ratchet stopped talking then, and it looked like he was about to break down and cry. He rubbed his temples with his hands and vented to try to compose himself. Raf had never seen Ratchet like this before. It made him wish he hadn't brought it up so he could spare Ratchet these painful memories.

"He was just a sparkling!" Ratchet finally shouted; a wailing sound that seemed more of a release than actual words, "I should have been there! I shouldn't have left them alone! Why couldn't I…?"

"Ratchet, please calm down," Raf said softly as he ran up to the medic and rubbed Ratchet's hand; which was now on the table, "You don't have to say anything more. We can talk about something else."

"No," Ratchet said in a firmer tone of voice than before, "No, this is what today is for. I cannot forget my sons. I cannot forget what happened. Not today. Not ever."

"What happened?" Raf finally worked up the courage to ask.

"Well, before the attack on Praxus, the Decepticons weren't taken seriously," Ratchet explained, "I mean sure, they were a group of terrorists, but we were sure the council was their only target. No one imagined them targeting civilians. Well, at that time I was one of the premier medical professors in the region, and I was asked to give a lecture on a new type of fringe-wire surgery in Iacon. Iacon was 45 kliks away from my home in Praxus, and normally I would take my sons with me. Prowl, however, had an exam for the police academy on the same orn I was giving my lecture, and he begged me to let him babysit Bluestreak so they could stay home while I went to Iacon. Prowl was a responsible young mech, so I was sure I could trust him to take good care of his little brother…"

Ratchet vented another few intakes before he continued, "Well...I was in Iacon when the word got out about the attack. Praxus was bombed by the Decepticons, and all the survivors were killed in the aftermath because Praxus supported the Prime."

"They were both killed?" Raf asked; horrified.

"No, Prowl survived," Ratchet replied soberly, "However, Bluestreak was killed in the initial explosion. He had just started primary school...he was building a model of the golden towers of Iacon. I know it shouldn't still be this raw in my processor, but I can't help it. He was just a sparkling! Why would the Decepticons want to kill innocent families and helpless sparklings? At the time I didn't understand why. I'm not sure I do now, but I do understand one thing: Megatron is evil. No one with a conscience would force their entire planet to go extinct just to prove a point. Nothing is worth the price we've all paid. Bluestreak was only the beginning."

"So, is Prowl still alive?" Raf asked.

"Sadly, no," Ratchet shook his head tiredly, "He died protecting his unit from an attack orchestrated by Starscream and his group of seekers. He might not have made it, but he saved 27 other mechs that day. One of those mechs was Bumblebee. I'm very proud of the mech Prowl grew up to be. He was the kind of son any Cybertronian would want."

"I think he would be proud to have a father like you," Raf replied with a small smile, "Team Prime would fall apart without you."

Ratchet smiled down at the boy, truly touched by the young human's words. Raf was indeed a very good friend.

"So Ratchet, what was Bluestreak like?" Raf asked.

"Well, I remember he loved to talk," Ratchet said wistfully as he placed Prowl's police badge on the table, "He wanted to make friends with everyone. He also loved animals and crystals. Problem was, he had trouble figuring out which animals were pets and which ones were vermin. One time he brought home a turbo rat from the gutter. Well, I found that thing in my berth one morning, and Bluestreak…"

They spent the next couple hours with Ratchet telling stories about his sons and Raf listening and asking questions. Normally Ratchet didn't participate in the ceremony like other Autobots did, but today he was glad Raf had forced him into it. It was nice to remember the good times and all the wonderful qualities his sons had. If only they could stop the Decepticons so no one else had to go through what he and the other Autobots had been through.